The Best Games on the PS3

The must-own games for the PlayStation 3.

While Sony didn't end up dominating the console space as much with the PlayStation 3 compared to its previous piece of home hardware (the PlayStation 2, of course), there was still an outstanding list of games released for it during the PS3's long lifecycle.

Which is what makes choosing the best 25 games released on the console so, so difficult. The list below aims to give you the gaming highlights for the PS3, and includes huge AAA hits, small and personal experiences, exclusive titles, and much more.

Do you agree with our choices? Read on and tell us in the comments below.

"Assassin's Creed II might seem as if it has added more than its foundation was meant to handle, but once all the new features are completely introduced, it develops that magic that so few games can cast. This is the rare sequel that offers fans of the original the basics they would expect, while adding and changing so many other aspects that even those who didn't appreciate the first should take the plunge, without hesitation." -- Read our Review or Watch the Trailer

"Regardless of whether you're getting sucked into the Story mode or competing for high scores in the Challenge mode, Batman: Arkham Asylum does an outstanding job of letting you be Batman. Everything about this game--the impressive visuals, stirring soundtrack, superb voice acting, fiendish puzzles, hard-hitting combat--feels like it has been lovingly crafted by a development team that's both knowledgeable and passionate about the source material. Miss out on this one and the joke's on you." -- Read our Review or Watch the Trailer

"While on the surface it might look like little more than a very pretty first-person shooter, BioShock is much, much more than that. Sure, the action is fine, but its primary focus is its story, a sci-fi mystery that manages to feel retro and futuristic at the same time, and its characters, who convey most of the story via radio transmissions and audio logs that you're constantly stumbling upon as you wander around. All of it blends together to form a rich, interesting world that sucks you in right away and won't let go until you've figured out what, exactly, is going on in the undersea city of Rapture." -- Read our Review or Watch the Trailer

"It serves as the contemplative companion to the typical Mario adventure while embracing the unbridled fun found in the best platformers. Clever gameplay mechanics are the driving force, pushing you toward your inevitable confrontation with the woman you've lost, but it's the engrossing story that cements this as something really special." -- Read our Review

"Developer Criterion has invented a world wonderfully suited to Burnout's nature, a city built exclusively to cater to your destructive whims. And while a few design hitches here and there get in the way now and again, by and large Burnout Paradise delivers an experience that is both true to the Burnout name and wonderfully fresh-feeling all at once." -- Read our Review or Watch the Trailer

"The campaign hits the same satisfying rhythms, the multiplayer captures the same frenetic intensity, and the cooperative zombies mode delivers the same stale undead-massacring action. Caught between striving for the future and remaining rooted in the past, Black Ops II finds solid footing, providing another great ride on the Call of Duty rollercoaster." -- Read our Review or Watch the Trailer

"Any game can deliver a few cheap scares. It takes a special one to terrify you. Dark Souls is such a game. It's a thoughtful, atmospheric, and mysterious role-playing adventure that challenges your mind and your mettle." -- Read our Review or Watch the Trailer

"Yet even though it allows you to wipe the recent slate clean, Dishonored still begs to be replayed from the beginning. Unlocking different powers, finishing missions in different ways, striving to be more or less murderous, and seeing a different endgame all offer appealing incentives to give it another go. It's a rare game that feels so compulsively replayable, but Dishonored is such a game." -- Read our Review or Watch the Trailer

"GTA V is a complicated and fascinating game, one that fumbles here and there and has an unnecessary strain of misogynistic nastiness running through it. But it also does amazing things no other open-world game has attempted before, using multiple perspectives to put you in the thick of cinematic heist sequences and other exhilarating, multi-layered missions like no open-world game before." -- Read our Review or Watch the Trailer

"Though it suffers from its share of plot and technical problems, Heavy Rain is nonetheless a bold and visionary step forward in the medium of interactive storytelling. Part adventure game and part psychological thriller, Heavy Rain is far from the quick-time-event-powered movie that it may appear to be at first glance. Every action you perform or decision you make--from the simple and mundane to the dark and disturbing--brings you closer to the flawed but realistic characters you manipulate." -- Read our Review or Watch the Trailer

"One of the most remarkable aspects of Infamous is how it continually improves throughout the quest. The pacing is excellent. It doles out new abilities, introduces powerful story twists, and concocts exhilarating missions at a steady rate, which means the game never loses steam during the course of the lengthy adventure." -- Read our Review or Watch the Trailer

"It's a real accomplishment that Journey draws together so many conventional game elements, and so well, and still feels like the art piece we expect from the makers of Flow and Flower: intriguing, ambiguous, and experimental. The game's length, two or three hours on the outside, is exactly right, letting you take in the whole experience in one session." -- Read our Review or Watch the Trailer

"No one could have suspected that the sequel to 2004's Killzone would be this good. Killzone 2 is a tremendous package, offering an exciting campaign and terrific competitive online play, neither of which create new paradigms for first-person shooters, but rather set new standards in subtle but significant ways." -- Read our Review or Watch the Trailer

"L.A. Noire is a unique game with a terrific sense of period atmosphere, absorbing investigation mechanics, and a haunting tale with plenty of moments that would be right at home in a classic film noir. Those smoky nights spent listening to jazz at the Blue Room, and the price you paid for them, will stay with you long after you've retired your badge and gun." -- Read our Review or Watch the Trailer

"This isn't just a superbly presented game that incorporates multiple genres and comes packaged with a powerful creation suite, it's your doorway into a wonderfully charming, vibrant, and ever-changing universe where almost anything is possible. Even if you're not interested in designing and creating games yourself, LittleBigPlanet 2 is not to be missed." -- Read our Review or Watch the Trailer

"Last Light is notably superior to its predecessor, merging storytelling, shooting, and sneaking into a remarkable and cohesive whole. And through this harmony of game design comes the caustic dissonance of a world so torn asunder that a single possibility can bring with it endless hope." -- Read our Review or Watch the Trailer

"For anyone who appreciates games that rise above the simple act of pushing a few buttons and pulling a few triggers, Metal Gear Solid 4 is a stimulating ride that you won't soon forget. You'll want to see what happens next, yet when its long campaign draws to a close, you'll wish it would continue." -- Read our Review or Watch the Trailer

"As you journey through the massive Aperture facility, it becomes clear that Portal 2 does not merely come after Portal. Instead, it radiates outward from its predecessor, simultaneously illuminating the world that gave rise to Portal and continuing the adventure that began there. The sense of novelty is diminished, but the thrill of exploration and puzzle-solving is still intoxicating, and it's amazing how Portal 2 manages to tell a better story with disembodied voices and spherical robots than most games can with full-on humans." -- Read our Review or Watch the Trailer

"This is an outstanding game that tells a great story with memorable and occasionally laugh-out-loud-funny characters. Think about great moments that you remember from spaghetti Western movies, put them all into one 20- to 40-hour epic feature, and picture yourself in the starring role. Now you have some idea of what's waiting for you in Red Dead Redemption." -- Read our Review or Watch the Trailer

"It's almost unfair to compare Rogue Legacy to other games that emphasize permanent death. It doesn't have the secrets of Spelunky and it's more predictable than The Binding of Isaac, yet at the end of every game comes a desire to hop right back in, spend your gold on some upgrades and rack up more monster kills, something the game encourages with a challenging new-game-plus option that appears after the credits roll." -- Read our Review or Watch the Trailer

"Spelunky doesn't extend a helping hand when you're down. It doesn't have mercy. And that stubbornness is one of the main reasons it's so hard to pull away from the game. When you finally conquer something that has been hounding you for hours, you feel like the best darn explorer on the planet, and that feeling overshadows all the hardships you overcame down the troubled path you traveled." -- Read our Review or Watch the Trailer

"Rock Band 3 not only introduces new and exciting things to the world of rhythm games, but it does almost everything better than those that have come before it. When it comes to accessible, inventive, and immensely entertaining music video games, nobody does it better than Rock Band 3." -- Read our Review or Watch the Trailer

"While the game expands on the solid base established by its precursor, Street Fighter IV, brawlers who dismiss this as merely a lick of paint and a roster update will do themselves a major disservice by passing on its excellent features and gameplay." -- Read our Review or Watch the Trailer

"Ellie's uplifting nature stands in sharp contrast to the people and events surrounding her, compelling you to protect her, shepherd her, and cherish her. The Last of Us is a singular adventure that looks the downfall of humanity in the eyes and doesn't blink." -- Read our Review or Watch the Trailer

"Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is a complete package. The perfectly paced campaign is pure joy from beginning to end, seamlessly combining top-notch shooting, smooth platforming, clever puzzles, and a playful story into one of the most engaging and satisfying adventures around. Competitive multiplayer is just as compelling." -- Read our Review or Watch the Trailer

"Pure entertainment: that's Vanquish in a nutshell. This speedy and thrilling third-person cover-based shooter is all madness, overwhelming you with gigantic robots, flurries of gunfire, and explosions so powerful and colorful that you might think you feel the heat. There are a lot of things to love about Vanquish, but its most impressive feat is that while it uses mechanics you've seen in other shooters, it feels nothing like them." -- Read our Review or Watch the Trailer

* GameSpot's Best Of Lists will updated periodically as new games worthy of inclusion are released on their respective platforms.

Besides no longer being able to zero in on the best scoring games of the PS3 I can't even tell if a game is available here. Look up 'Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes' and it shows recent consoles '+ 2 more' but no where is there any way to discover what those '+ 2 more' are. I strongly suspect that one of them is the PS3. GameSpot--you have really wrecked your usefulness! I'm going to move closer and closer to using Metacritic now. You should fire the people that have made these nonsensical changes here and revert back to what was useful to us.

You should change the title of the section "Playstation 3 // Best Games" to "Playstation 3 // Randolph's most favorite games" instead. Because you have just forced all players to acknowledge these are the ONLY best PS3 games on GS they can find, while many other games that might be better in their perspective but are hidden from them. I feel disappointed because of GS sometimes but have never felt this angry.

Perhaps the best PS3 game of all is not even on the list - Demons Souls. It's got atmosphere, music, sound design, gameplay, story (which doesn't need gimmicky cut scenes to be told), awesome combat and fantastic replay value in spades. Ah well, to think it was Gamespot's game of the year too.

Wow Gamespot did you just let an intern make this list in his coffee-break? Where's God of War 3, Mass Effect 2, Splinter Cell Blacklist, Rayman Legends, The Walking Dead, Borderlands 2, Far Cry 3, Uncharted 3 or any of the Resistance or Fallout games? Seriously, you even failed to include the best games in specific series, for example why did you chose Arkham asylum over the way better Arkham City or inFamous over inFamous 2? I would be ok with all of it if you wouldn't have included games like Black ops or Burnout but this is a joke.

This list blows. I seriously don't know what you guys were smoking, but this is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a good list. Black Ops 2 does not deserve a place on the list, nor does half of what you mentioned. Games like Killzone 3, Resistance 2, LittleBigPlanet, Demon's Souls, and the other two Uncharted titles would have been a good start. You guys might need to find new jobs.

I liked Journey, but I never felt a need to return to it after my first playthrough. Flower is a experience I still return to from time to time to admire and enjoy. For me it sits in my all time top 3, along with Ocarina of Time and Ico.

(It was also, to my knowledge, the ONLY game to actually use the sixaxis controls REALLY well.)

Wow GS this list is pretty bad, like seriously LA Noire and Black Ops 2 (not even the best COD) is one of the top 25 games on PS3, I guess the other ones come down to taste. Hell I am surprised a great game like Vanquish made the list.

Oh and I love how games like Ni No Kuni and Valkyria Chronicles are not on the list. I think IGN has better lists then this, then again they think Crysis 2 is better than Halo Reach so maybe not.

It just blows my mind that LA Noire made the list. That game was interesting at first but quickly became a borefest and is probably one of the most repetitive games I have ever played. I understand this is all opinion and taste but to think that game is considered by GS as one of the 25 best games for PS3 just blows my mind.

So many great games are missing from the list due to all of the multiplatform games listed. These articles would be much better if they showcased the best games only on that system to show people why they might be interested in picking one up. If someone played only on an Xbox 360 for the last gen they could already have played most of these games and think a PS3 may not be worth their time. A list of PS3 only games would be much more interesting and show why it is worth getting even if you have already played Assassin's Creed, Batman, or Call of Duty.

Also when they do these lists if they include multiplatform games then the multiplatform games should be the same for both lists as they would still be the same great games with only a few system specific games pushing a few off the list.

Some of the games on your list I wasn't aware were on ps3 (spelunky, rockband 3). I don't even like a lot of your choices; never liked assassin creed, never played Cod. I would have liked borderlands 2. Ps3 just has so much to offer, If i had to make a list it would probably piss off everyone.

AC2 was pretty epic, that is why the formula was copied by all its sequels. It had a lengthy story that was interesting with a great lead character and took place in well created cities. It took all the ideas of its predecessors and improved it. The game made you feel like a badass and it had quite a variation of weapons and just content in general. As for COD I am not a big fan but Black Ops 2 is far from the best one. Borderlands had an awesome formula that combined open world RPG, coop, and shooting and even today it remains pretty unique. The first lacked depth in story, but I personally thought it was much more memorable then the second especially with all the awesome DLC.

My list would probably upset people as well with games most have not heard of above games like Uncharted and I would not even put TLOU up that high, and I think we all know how the PS fanboys get when you do that.

@RSM-HQ@EhggszIt's all subjective. I personally preferred Uncharted 3's story (More interesting, less predictable, and didn't go super wacky at the end. A little, but not as bad.), soundtrack (Azam Ali, anyone?), and online multiplayer (Even the redone classic maps were much better.). Both had superb story telling, animations, and dialogue, but for the reasons mentioned above, Uncharted 3 has the advantage in my opinion.

I don't understand people's problem with the exclusivity of the list. This isn't an article to convince you to buy PS3. It's recommending games for your PS3. What does it matter if the game is also on XB360 or not?

@Unfallen_Satan The article would be more interesting if it showed off games people may not know of. Listing Call of Duty and Assassin's Creed isn't opening anyone's eyes to new games. Showing unique stuff that may make someone think about getting the system when they previously had no interest is good.

@Toysoldier34 This is true. At the same time, it's important to remember many of the best games are still AAA games. Some lists can focus only on exclusives, but a list like this has a broader and more practical appeal. An exclusive list for Xbox360 would be less likely to reach someone like me, for example, who doesn't intent to buy the console, but I have a higher chance to read a list like this for the Xbox360 just to see what non-exclusives are listed, and I may discover something unexpected in the process.

I don't think you can make such a list for the PS3 without including God of War 3 and Wipeout HD.. They are certainly more deserving to be on this list than almost all the games... although I am not a fan, Metal Gear Solid 4 should have been there also, these games are icons of the PS3 and they basically saved a platform that was in deep trouble, along with Uncharted 2 (Uncharted 2 is already in your list)... without The Last of Us either, maybe it was deemed too obvious, but still... anyone with a PS3 owe it to themselves to give this game a spin!

If you are to include indies, I think the Pixel Junk games (Monsters, shooter) are amazing much more deserving than Braid... maybe even Journey for many people...

I would think you tried to be original, but then Call of Duty is in there (I don't play it, I don't do MP and can't stand re-spawning enemies in an FPS game) along with Bioshock and Red Dead redemption... neither of these games are PS3 icons, Bioshock should only be played on a PC really, and for the others, they are just better on the 360.